About Carole

Carole is an experienced and inspirational leader with a proven track record of successfully delivering large scale national volunteer programmes. 

She is a strategic thinker who translates imaginative ideas into robust solutions. 

Carole is driven to help organisations achieve sustainable change that improves the quality of experience for customers and stakeholders.

Areas of expertise

Training & Resources

creating powerful learning experiences (accompanied by high quality resources) that enhance individual’s skills, knowledge, confidence, attitudes and behaviours enabling them to contribute more effectively.

Events

planning and delivering engaging events that inspire participants to connect with organisations’ strategic goals.
 

Facilitation

helping teams achieved desired outcomes (eg goal setting, problem solving, rapport building) by structuring processes, managing conflict, and maximising participation.
Recruitment – creating high performing partnerships to design targeted campaigns that attract new volunteers.

Recognition

delivering traditional and original opportunities to appreciate outstanding contribution by individuals and teams of volunteers.
 

Strategy

objectively viewing the ‘big picture’ by analysing data to obtain valuable insights into significant trends and attitudes, and crafting practical action resulting in step change.

Carole’s corporate career included over ten years as the Volunteer Manager at the Rugby Football Union where she developed and implemented a national volunteer strategy which doubled the number of volunteers to over 60,000.  In previous customer facing and quality management roles in high technology, blue chip corporations, Carole led and facilitated teams across Europe and America. 
 
Carole has served as a member of the Year of the Volunteer Sports Innovation Team, Sports Strategic Partnership for Volunteering and England Volunteer Development Council.  She participates in the Sports Volunteer Research Network and has engaged with two Institute of Volunteer Research Projects: “A Winning Team?” and “Volunteering to lead” and took part in consultation relating to the Compact, Risk & Volunteering and the Commission on the Future of Volunteering.

Close to completing the NVQ5 Management of Volunteers, Carole also holds an MSc in Environmental Technology and a BSc in Biology.  Being invited to speak to organisations is a privilege Carole enjoys. Speaking invitations have including presentations to Eastern Counties RFU, RugbyExpo and the Civil Service Motoring Association.
Having retired from playing and refereeing rugby, Carole maintains a keen interest in sport.  During a 14 year period, her voluntary work included five roles in three organisations as well as completing challenges that personally raised over £3,000 for three charities.

Example achievements

• Initiated a project that recruited, trained and deployed over 8,000 16-25 year old volunteers having obtained over £330,000 funding from the youth charity v.
• Oversaw targeted recruitment of over 7,000 parents as volunteers over 2 years.
• Conceived and successfully piloted an acclaimed volunteer led campaign resulting in £1M investment in national marketing that recruited over 9,500 adult participants using cinema, radio and viral advertising.
• Established and developed a network of over 1,000 volunteer coordinators to create the infrastructure needed to recruit, retain and recognise volunteers locally.
• Introduced the innovative Leadership Academy to develop over 300 club leaders.

• Developed an Orientation Day to induct c.100 new regional volunteers annually.
• Led cross organisational teams to deliver six national conferences resulting in volunteer buy-in to implement strategic aims.
• Created the flagship volunteer recognition awards that attracted over 1,000 nominations and promoted hundreds of models of best practice.
• Commissioned two research projects into Volunteer Workforce Development and implemented recommendations to improve the quality of experience of volunteers.